Derothgar, the Fortress of the Damned and the Horned Crown of Chaos

 

art by Richard Wright (source)

Deep in the Orclands in the northeast of Darokin stands Derothgar, the Fortress of the Damned. It is a stronghold of all sorts of creatures and monstrosities, including humanoids, undead and chaos cultists, depraved humans who have thrown their lot in with the forces of darkness (including chaotic clerics. chaos warriors and twisted summoners). Very few civilized folk know of its existence, because it is surrounded by so many orc and goblin tribes and also the huge dome of non-detection that prevents scrying and clairaudience within a mile radius of the fortress. 

At the heart of this evil fortress is the leader, Baelforg the Soulripper (human male, 25th level Cleric, align Chaotic). He is the commander of Derothgar and its inhabitants. and he does this by means of a unique artifact, the Horned Crown of Chaos. Forged in the long lost past, perhaps of Nithian design, perhaps even older, from soon after the fall of legendary Blackmoor, the Horned Crown of Chaos offers its wearer some unique powers:

• Long range telepathy with selected subordinates and lieutenants (up to 20 individuals may be connected to the crown), allowing two-way conversations up to 500 miles range
• Charm person or monster within 60 yards, 1/turn, (-4 to save if target is chaotic, +4 to save if target is lawful)
• Wearer's charisma is raised to 18 in the eyes of chaotic creatures and characters
• The wearer can cast Geas spell 1/day on any chaotic target, -4 to save.

Baelforg rarely leaves the fortress and never sets the crown down - he even sleeps with it on. He sees himself as the puppet master, pulling strings from a safe distance and behind his curtain of non-detection. He is telepathically connected to henchmen and local commanders dotted around the Known World and is one of the most influential characters in the Known World, yet only a select few know that he even exists. He has a hand in many chaotic cults and strongholds across Darokin, Karameikos, Ylaruam, Rockhome and Glantri. Technically Baelforg answers to his masters in Hule - he is their regional overseer for south-east Brun - but in effect he is almost autonomous, and he prefers it that way. He has also been discretely investigating how he might ascend as a Prince of Chaos. 

Derothgar is like an iceberg - the visible part above ground is only a small part of the whole. Below the ground are 20 levels - it is a megadungeon. As a fortress it relies on not being found - once adventurers know its location it is not as secure as one might think. Getting into the outer layers is feasible as there are three official entrances on the ground floor, and various unsecured windows. However, once in, the sheer size and complexity of the structure becomes a defence in itself. It is never straightforward to get from one place to anywhere else, and although the guards and garrisons are disjointed and uncoordinated, there are a lot of them.  The surface levels that form the above-ground fortress contain more chaotic humans, while the underground dungeon levels contain more undead and other monstrous horrors. Right at the heart of the lowest dungeon level there is believed to be several permanent portals to some of the planes of Chaos, including Urdunor - the prevalence of Hellforged Iron worn on senior commanders confirms this. 

Derothgar is not intended to be a beginners' dungeon - even its upper levels are expected to be for characters of levels 7 and up. And there is no nearby town to rest and heal wounds, or sell loot, so regular expeditions here will require carefully planned logistics and possibly some sort of magical transport.

Thanks to Needles and his Swords & Stitchery blog for this post here which helped solidify my ideas for this post.